So here we are, mid way through September and I am only just writing my August journal.

That pretty much sums up August, busy.

THE HIGHS

August was full of professional highs for me. I was nominated for Creative Of The Year in Cosmopolitan Woman of the Year for 2018 (you can still vote for me here). My first reaction was pure excitement when I found out followed almost immediately by fear and doubt but this is the high section so let’s leave that for later. It’s funny, working for yourself and it just being you means you rarely take a moment to pat yourself on the back and feel proud of yourself so this was the perfect excuse to do so. I experimented with shooting wet face masks on magazines & even though after posting it, it didn’t perform super great I still freaking loved it. My Full Stop interview in Real Living Magazine came out and after being worried that I didn’t make it look cool enough, I was obsessed with how it turned out (classic, you’ll see a theme here). I went down to Sydney for the Nespresso Master Origin event and had the most amazing food and laughed my head off with the team until passed midnight. After not finding any new house to move into, we got approved for a periodic lease in our current house until we find somewhere which was really best case scenario. Magazines this month were particularly inspiring, especially HUNGER & The Gentlewoman. I also photographed & illustrated my collaboration with Love Stories Australia which is a stand out project from this year, I might touch on that more in September’s Journal though. How can I forget that I turned 26 too?! As I said, huge month. A notable mention has to go to my mum for her birthday gift to me. Quick back story, my mum always has had the best pantry & I have never lived up to it. So for my birthday she got me a Mum’s Pantry Starter Pack with everything I could ever need and more. She killed it and now I need a bigger pantry.

NEW IN

After cancelling my last External Hard drive order, I re-ordered one through apple but it still won’t arrive until the end of September so that saga continues.

But in other new arrivals:- Country Road Judd Dinner Plates (shop here) - Clarins Skin Illusion Foundation (shop here) After trying this out through August I actually really enjoy it, let me know if you want me to do a review in a monthly favourites or something- Love Stories April Morning Fragrance. I got two samples and went through them so quickly that I knew I had to make the full size mine.

INSPIRED BY

THE LOWS

The professional highs brought along a few personal lows. Definitely probably took on too much through August & into September so it left me feeling pretty drained. I have really had to step back and say no to a lot more to compensate in September. I really have to make sure that I am working in a way that is sustainable long term to avoid burning out. I had a lot of self doubt in August, whether it was the award nomination, executing the work for Love Stories or even down to an interview, that needs to stop. We didn’t find that house that I thought we would this month, which isn’t a big low because we can stay here but I just thought it would have been sorted by now. The first attempt to shoot the editorial for Love Stories was a fail with it being the windiest day in Brisbane and it meant even with all of my i’s dotted and t’s crossed, I can’t control everything. I got an exciting email and then was ghosted. I burnt my hands too many times with my curler, probably due to being over tired and rushing.

WHAT I LEARNT THIS MONTH

I can’t keep up at the pace that I went in August. I definitely will be adding to my goals for September to try slow down a little. I am 100% capable of executing whatever the hell I want to do. The self doubt got the best of me this month so hopefully the results of that doubt will make me realise that I am more than capable.

GOALS FOR SEPTEMBER

I really want to focus on getting my life in some sort of order again, to feel like I have some control back. Say no to more work, focus on the projects that are important to you. Try take a break from this house stuff. I figured out finding a place to live/work is like what I think modern dating would be like. You spend too much time flicking through options on apps, you are afraid to commit incase something more perfect comes along, you waste time inspecting the options in person only to be let down and you dread your friends and family asking how the latest option went because it didn’t go well. Get your tax return done. Make time to make a new artwork collection.

Ever get to that time on Sunday when you realise you're not quite ready for the week ahead but have no idea what you've done for the last two days? I have built my own little weekend ritual that restores me from the week gone and prepares me for the week ahead. It doesn't have to take hours out of your weekend if you already have your calendar packed but these few little rituals make all the difference come Monday.

First up, Seeking Inspiration.

Where & how do you normally fuel your creativity? Is it going on an adventure, reading a good book, listening to music? Do at least one of those across the weekend. My favourite way to seek inspiration is to sit in the winter sun, turn on some music and sit down with magazines to tear up & a cup of coffee.

This weekend I have been testing out Nespresso's new Master Origin Range. This range explores the coffee craftsmanship of six countries to create truly unique, single origin coffees. For exampleIndiaharnesses the power of the wet monsoon winds on India’s Malabar coasts to age the local Robusta beans. It has intense, slightly spicy notes & is best suited if you enjoy your coffee as an espresso or lungo.

If you like something less intense with notes of wine & berries, you might prefer to try Colombia. It is less intense but evokes the taste of fruit & wine after being left on the branch much longer before roasting. This one is definitely a stand out for me from the range. I normally go towards coffees with notes of cereal so Colombia is different but a change I am very happy about.

SELF CARE SUNDAY

Build your own self care ritual. Put on your favourite candles or incense and do whatever makes you feel recovered and ready to take on a new week. Some things I love to do to take care of myself physically & mentally are: Write in a journal, do my favourite of my face masks & hair masks, Spring clean my wardrobe, go to the flower markets. But you could also do some meditation, do whatever exercise is your favourite, run a long bath or binge your favourite tv show and eat pizza. You do you.

MOTIVATION BEFORE MONDAY

We all know that feeling of mania on a Monday morning when you have been avoiding responsibility all weekend. I try to avoid that feeling by just tackling a few little tasks before Monday rolls around again. For me, writing my to-do's for the week ahead, writing down any habits that I would like to stick to & organising my finances for the week ahead always helps. That way you can start your week fresh with clear intention.

Do you have a weekend ritual and if so, let me know yours in the comments below!

COMPLEXION

BARE MINERALS Complexion Rescue. I have been on and off testing this for over a month since it was crowned Face product of the year in the Mecca Beauty Election. So far, I love it. It reminds me of my go-to Clinique Even Better Glow foundation but slightly less coverage. It is in a mousse form so I feel like it more like a tinted moisturiser than liquid foundation which is sometimes nice for no make up days. It leave the skin with a glow and I honestly have no complaints.

ILIA Face Palette.To be honest, I have only been using this for a couple of weeks but the top left hand corner cream blush is my favourite. The depth of the rosy pink in the pan might scare you but it blends like a dream. I have been popping this on my cheeks and over my eye lids all week.

HOURGLASS Caution Mascara. Caution in deed. When I first tried this product I don't think I was ready for it and it took me a few days to make it work for me. It definitely is volumizing while adding length and curl to my lashes while not smudging throughout the day. For me I think the trick was to not fully coat the brush before applying. I like to build up my lashes a little slower than the fully coated brush allows. If you like high-impact though, you'll love it.

MECCA COSMETICA Lip De-Luscious.This product has been one of my favourite releases from the last couple of months. It is their fan-favourite Lip De-Luscious in stick form. It is an amazing lip balm with a tint of colour to them. I will definitely be repurchasing the Nude shade once mine runs out.

It has been a few months since I have touched base on the new products I have been testing out lately. So today I am going through some newbies that I have trying out in place of my all time favourites and letting you know how they stack up and if I will be repurchasing.

SKIN

TATCHA Water Cream. This is an expensive cream to love so if you don't have $99 to spend, don't even test it. It is so damn beautiful. It looks almost like a lightweight gel formula but once you put it on the skin it actually does feel like water without leaving the skin feel wet. I feel like if you like theClinique Moisture Surge range you will like this but for nearly twice the price it may not be worth it. I feel like if I am wanting to treat myself, I would definitely re-purchase.

TATCHA Pearl Tinted Eye Treatment.Again, with Tatcha it is going to set you back but it is pretty damn good. This is the love child of your under eye corrector and eye cream. It is a treatment so it leaves your under eyes feeling delightful but also corrects some of the darkness. On no makeup days I would use this as an under eye concealer but it doesn't have a whole lot of coverage. Sits at $70 but you honestly need the tiniest amount each use.

SCENT

BYREDO Velvet Haze. This scent was another winner from the Mecca Beauty Election and I can now see why. It has notes of patchouli, coconut and musk. Anything musk is a winner in my books and I am not mad after adding it to my collection.

LOVE STORIESApril Morning. Once again, musk, I just can't get enough. This scent smells a little deeper to me with notes of incense, sandal wood, wild flowers and a touch of pepper. As soon as I can get my hands on a full bottle, I will be purchasing.

While these products have been gifted to me, I have no obligation to promote or talk favourably about any of the above. These are my own opinions as always.

Join the conversation and let us beauty lovers know what products you've been loving lately in the comments. J x

THE HIGHS

Overall, July was an really good month. One of the highlights was definitely celebrating Michael's 30th Birthday. We went to one of our favourite places Mrs Browns with a bunch of his friends and I enjoyed a lot of rose! (I even met a few of you there). He also had some time off towards the end of the month which meant I took some days off and we headed up to the Sunshine Coast for a little break. I have been going to the Sunshine Coast nearly every holiday since I was born as well as some weekends when my dad lived at Coolum so going back up there always makes me feel at home. Flowerlovers got in a whole selection of dried flowers which I went crazy for. His & Hers Japan sold out within hours and then pre-orders flooded in which we are both so blown away and grateful for. August was also my first month working with Country Road Home, a brand I have been wanting to work with for ages now. One of my artworks also got on the cover of Real Living's august issue. My Nespresso order arrived just as I ran out. The Question Feature came out on Stories and made life a touch easier.

NEW IN

To be honest, I didn't do a lot of shopping this month due to Michael's Birthday and being away for 5 days (I spent a lot on food though) - Georgia Perry Earrings (shop here)- Avenue Gingham Cap (shop here)- Lee Matthews Skirt (shop here)

LISTENING TO

The Teacher's Pet - PodcastMallrat - In The Sky Album

THE LOWS

There was huge delays with my hard drive being delivered so I ended up cancelling my order so my storage problem is still not fixed. We also are looking to move from our lease early September and so far the hunt for a new place has been really draining. Working from home means my home brings me stability and with that being in limbo and up in the air I feel under pressure and quite anxious about it. Also this month something weird happened with my contraceptive pill where I had asked my doctor to change my pill 6 months ago only to find out from a new doctor that they just gave me the same pill ingredients under a different brand. Also had rude and mean DM's for the first time in a while after increasing how much I post.

WHAT I LEARNT THIS MONTH

I don't know if I learnt this but it's definitely I have been working on this month but to try to feel proud of myself and my work. So often I don't take a second to even feel good about the work or opportunities that I am getting or once I have them, I am onto the next thing or scared to acknowledge it incase it is taken away or doesn't happen like I thought it was.

GOALS FOR AUGUST

My goal for this month is to not break down, no, but seriously I really want to aim to let shit be this month. I already know that it is going to be uncomfortable and busy due to not only my birthday (Aug 17) but my brothers and trying to find somewhere to move and possibly moving. I don't want to keep getting myself worked up over "perfect" houses that go before I even get to inspect them, the fear that nothing will come up, the anxiety around the time I will spend inspecting, looking, moving and not working. Hopefully by this time next month, all will be okay and restored to somewhat routine. I do believe that the universe will give me the right place at the right time and if not then maybe we shouldn't be moving. I just need to trust in that.

IDENTIFY WHAT Is STOPPING YOUR PRODUCTIVITY

First of all you need to be able to identify what is stopping you from being productive. It is very rare that I will procrastinate throughout the day because to be honest I just really fucking love my work. But when I am not being productive, it is normally because one of the following reasons: I don't feel confident in the task, I am second guessing myself, it's a part of my job that I don't enjoy or it is a time of the day where I am wrecked.

KNOW YOUR PRIORITIES

Sometimes we misuse our time for things that don't really matter to us/our business so this is where it helps to make your priorities clear. Is emails at the top of your list, your customers, your admin, or creating? For me I know that my customers and current clients come before everything else. That means that all of their work is completed before I look at social media, personal work/content or future emails etc. This helps to give yourself a clear guide on how you should be allocating your time.

BE AWARE YOUR WORKING HABITS

I think the longer that you work for yourself or study, the easier it is to be aware of how you work and what affects you. Pay attention to what times of the day you work best, in what environment, do you work better at a cafe or in a communal space, do you need music playing or does that distract you? Spend some time thinking about that and if what you're doing currently isn't working for you switch it up. That might mean not sitting at a desk from 9-5 because 'that's what people who work do' Try working at night instead or only sit at your desk when you have productive work to complete.

MAKE TIME WORK FOR YOU

You'll start to notice pretty quickly what times of the day you're most productive. Utilise those by having clear objectives during those times of the day. In the times where you're brain moves a little slower, do activities that take the pressure off. I find that I hit a wall mid-afternoon so I will either push my lunch back till then or go for a walk.

ELIMINATE YOUR DISTRACTIONS

(If you can that is. You can't eliminate your children or the fact that your fridge is close by) That might mean putting your phone in another room, noise cancelling ear phones, not listening to talking/songs while writing copy or emails.

BREAK EVERYTHING DOWN IN A LIST

Sometimes work can become overwhelming and you can find yourself procrastinating easily. I personally find lists to be the best way to break it all down into actionable steps that make even the daunting tasks seem easy enough to tackle. Instead of just "EMAILS" write Email back _____, Send Quote through to _____, Follow up on invoice _____ . This way you will tick things off a lot quicker and feel like you're actually getting somewhere.

DO WHAT YOU DON'T WANT TO DO FIRST

If you can, do the thing you are likely to put off doing first. Once you get that one thing out of the way the other tasks in your day might seem a lot easier to accomplish. For me that can be chasing up an invoice, or doing my taxes. These are the things that I can often leave to the end of the day and therefore not get done and roll over onto another day.

POST IT NOTES

I love my post-its. I often put them onto the front of my desktop for notes to myself that would otherwise slip my mind. It also helps me get those things done quickly because they make my desk look messier than I'd like.